World War II-dated TLS, one page, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, January 23, 1942. Letter to Dorothy Vicaji, in full: "Thank you for your note and wire. However, even without knowing anything about your story idea, I am not in a position to give it consideration, as we are operating under a very full program this year. In addition to our regular output of product, we are working on special films for the Government, and although your idea is based on the timely theme of Victory, I do not see how we could possibly fit it into our production program. However, I do appreciate your thoughtfulness in offering us the subject for consideration." In fine condition, with light creasing to the bottom corners, and light show-through at the top from old mounting remnants on the back.
On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into World War II. The very next day U.S. Army troops requisitioned half of Walt Disney’s Burbank, California, studio for their use. But space was not all that Disney would provide the troops. Artists, animators, and Walt Disney himself pitched in, enlisting Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and other beloved Disney characters in the war effort.
Throughout the early 1940s, Disney churned out military training films, educational shorts (provided to the U.S. government at cost), and military insignia for over 1,000 different units in the U.S. armed forces (provided free of charge). Disney’s entire stable of characters was employed in the name of patriotism, and by 1943 newspapers were reporting that up to 90 percent of the Disney studio’s work was for government agencies.
In 1943 The New York Times singled out Donald Duck, in particular, as an 'ambassador-at-large, a salesman of the American Way' for his representation of the United States both at home and abroad. By the end of the war, however, the title 'Salesman of the American Way' may well have belonged to Walt Disney himself. The use of Disney’s characters in war-related work helped to strengthen the perception of the Disney brand as a symbol of the United States and its values.
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